By Ijeoma Agbafo
The Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO) has welcomed President Bola Tinubu’s directive to the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate major global technology companies and generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms operating in Nigeria.
The Deputy President of the Newspapers Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) and NPO, Frank Aigbogun, said in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja that the directive followed a joint petition submitted by the NPO and its constituent bodies over the activities of Big Tech companies.
Aigbogun said the petition raised concerns over the anti-competitive practices of dominant digital platforms, including Meta, Alphabet and X, accusing them of exploiting original journalistic content without fair compensation and threatening the sustainability of Nigeria’s media industry.
He described the President’s directive as a major step towards ensuring greater accountability for global technology companies, noting that similar efforts had been made in other countries, including South Africa.
Aigbogun also welcomed the commitment by FCCPC Chief Executive Officer, Tunji Bello, to conduct an independent, transparent and evidence-based investigation following the request of the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris.
He said the NPO, comprising the NPAN, the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), would fully cooperate with the commission during the inquiry.
